


Phototropism

by DeanWinchesterIsTrans



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Creation Myth, Desert Bluffs, I want Kevin to kick the Smiling God’s ass is what I’m saying, Kevin is basically that concept of downing 10 5 hr energies and fighting god behind the dennys, but i have no idea how to write that particular sensation so I did this instead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 05:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13733685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeanWinchesterIsTrans/pseuds/DeanWinchesterIsTrans
Summary: pho·tot·ro·pismˌfōdəˈtrōpizəmnounBIOLOGYthe orientation of a plant or other organism in response to light, either toward the source of light (positive phototropism) or away from it (negative phototropism).Desert Bluffs creation myth aka fuck the church of the Smiling God





	Phototropism

At the beginning, there was nothing.

Then there was something. And in this something, there was a desert.

There was no recorded history then, as there were no listeners or observers, yet the speakers said it started out with sunshine and wind and then there was some sort of life. If not life, then sentience at least.

This being of many limbs, many eyes looked over the barren desert. Unbeknownst to it, another patch of desert was about to have a similar start as soon as this sun set.

Regardless, this particular being was one of feathers and claws and dark eyes and a voice chattering in languages unknown. It brought rainstorms, and it brought the sun. It was particularly pleased with the sun, as it shooed away worries, yet respected the boundaries of the physical plane, creating the divide of darkness that let all beings keep secrets to themselves. Yes, the sun gave warmth and reassurance while allowing creatures to cast shadows in which to hide in. It was fair like that: powerful, yet honor-bound.

The sun and the rain together also brought up green sprouts from the ground. The being was delighted by this, and watched the plants grow as if it had never seen such a thing before— which it hadn’t.

In time, beings known to some as humans came and stayed in the small basin of sand it called its home.

At first, it did not like these little bipeds. They were noisy, loud, and did not seem interested in the minute wonders it had come to treasure. It drove them off with biting winds and haunting visages again and again. But then it grew tired of those games. The curiosity took over again, and it watched. Then it listened. Then it mimicked their forms.

With a sudden influx of English-speakers, it decided it was a he, and that he liked the name Kevin. He still had trouble some with appearing fully human. He never could get the eyes right, not for lack of trying on his part.

He grew to love those that lived in this little desert, protecting and watching over with them with his many eyes and wings and teeth. He spoke to them, and his voice rearranged the world around them. It described the stars, defined their fears and in return they listened.

His listeners, his town, became his entire universe. They were everything to this archaic being.

Sorrow first struck his heart when the first of them died. It was out of his control, it was a concept he nearly couldn’t grasp. He fell to his knees, and wept with anger and fear and sorrow.

Lightning wreaked the desert for days and days, threatening to become ceaseless, but then the cries of his listeners drew his attention past his own rage.

A small child had drawn their own blood, and smeared it down their cheek in mirror of their voice’s dark tears.

Blood was sacred to the inhabitants of this desert for reasons related in some long-forgotten apologue.

The being came down from the storm immediately, adopting a similar appearance to his listeners so as not to scare them more than he already had.

He knelt before the child, and apologized, and told them, told all his listeners they should never fear the storm. They never would have to.

The thunderstorm lightened. Rain still fell, and lightening still struck, and thunder still roared, yet the listeners knew it would never harm them.

Time went on, and Kevin lived many lifetimes in his precious town of Desert Bluffs. He never left, why would he? He couldn’t imagine any place better.

It was good. There were troubles, but nothing the town couldn’t work through.

At some point, a small totalitarian local government arose in the shadows the sun provided, and they put on a show of leading the town.

This was alright with Kevin, because he was very happy just being the voice of Desert Bluffs, the community radio host. It was his perfect world. Well, no, there was no such thing as perfect. There were imperfections, of course, but they were perfectly imperfect, if that made any sense.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

But then a business came to town. Kevin-the-radio-host didn’t recognize it for what it was, not at first. But with a screeching furious panic Kevin-the-voice remembered himself, and saw StrexCorp for the facet of a malevolent false god it was.

The Smiling God claimed to bring light, but Kevin knew sunlight and Strex’s light was not it. Their light shone through everything, destroying the once-respected shadows.

Local businesses and services were bought up as the Smiling God devoured the entirety of Kevin’s listeners. His town, his life, his love, was being consumed by a false idol.

Kevin was furious, and let everyone know, letting the fury consume him to prevent their god from taking his mind even if it had taken his entire town. Kevin and his town were nearly one, so destroying his town nearly pulled him into Strex’s grasp too, but he held out even once he was the last one left.

Strex had forced their way into the studio, and they were fighting an ancient force, a flurry of eyes and wings and teeth and feathers and claws and dark eyes and a deafening alluring voice.

He felt and heard and saw them kill Vanessa, and in that final moment his perception was such that he was her, and it was him staring vacantly at the microphone from the recording booth.

He was then the final one in Desert Bluffs that still was free from Strex, and he resolved to fight against them for the rest of time.

Then they shattered his fragile human body, and left him in the hands of their finest ‘reeducators’.

Kevin convinced himself he was fine, that his body could hold out. And he was right, until it stepped in.

Fading in and out of consciousness, Kevin was largely unaware of his outside surroundings, but the presence of the Smiling God was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

He heard footsteps, and braced himself for pain without opening his eyes... but then a warm hand caressed his cheek. Kevin, a powerful archaic being older and so much more than most of his surroundings, let out a sob as the warmth flooded through his whole body, easing the pain he found there.

If he could focus, his rational mind would note that the false god wasn’t actually healing anything, and that this would not fix anything. But he could not focus at all. Nope, nosirree, not at all.

His feeble human form begged him to just give in to this light, this majesty, this man whispering praises of him, this man saying he was fascinated by his resistance, praising praising praising this ancient deity. This man’s gentle touches, his soft words... why should he resist?

Unfortunately for the temporal pleas of the temporal body, Kevin was enraged, and currently attempting to claw out the eyes of the one daring to devour his town. He wanted to spill the blood of the false god, he wanted to taste it between his many teeth, he wanted to tear it all apart. He clawed, and bit, and screamed, but the Smiling God had his town, and was rested, powerful, and overall had the upper hand.

The Smiling God grabbed Kevin, and locked him inside his body with unseen chains and a Strex patented Control Collar. Kevin screamed, and the ears of the people standing just outside the door melted in a goey, gorey mess. The Smiling God before him just chuckled, and sewed his eye shut with hands just as gentle as before.

He had trapped Kevin. To the broken shell of a god, the false idol whispered even more praise with even softer caresses. He promised forgiveness and welcoming arms to Kevin if he ever wished it. Kevin wished to spit at him, but couldn’t get his body to respond the way it used to.

Then the false idol left, leaving the broken Kevin to be educated into the ways of Strex.

He broke through the conditioning every so often, but it cost him each time, and it never lasted long before Lauren or a supervisor dragged him off to relearn the glory of a false god.

The Desert Otherworld was filled with the light of the Smiling God, but Kevin fought off the pull for his new friend.

Then his friend left, and he turned back to the familiar.

Then the light disappeared, and eons passed.

Then, nearing the end of his once-endless life, he received a transmission from another ancient thing, one optimistic about the future. He wanted to lie and tell Cecil it would be alright, but he knew how much that particular lie hurt. So he said his truth: Kevin’s future was desolate.

He barely remembered his own name, and couldn’t remember the feeling of sunshine on his wings.

**Author's Note:**

> I might write a second chapter covering like a similar thing w Cecil but I’m too lazy to copy/paste the shrug emoji so [shrug emoji]


End file.
